Short supply of top trees in N.Y.

Tuesday

A couple of rainy summers followed by this year’s drought has created a dearth of high-quality Christmas trees upstate.

The region had about 3 inches less rainfall than normal from June through September. As a result, Christmas trees didn’t grow as much and aren’t as vibrant as hoped, according to the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, Inc.

Local growers say their biggest challenge is filling wholesale orders for premium, highly popular Fraser firs, which the association says typically accounts for 25 percent of Christmas trees sales statewide.

“Frasers have a nice, soft needle that holds well,” said Carol Urtz, who along with husband, Bill, operates Urtz Evergreens Inc. in Palmyra. “It’s not as dense as other trees. There’s room between the branches to hang ornaments. But they don’t grow well in this area.”

Native to North Carolina, Frasers have to be pampered here to thrive. The lack of acidity in the soil and cold winters here are unaccustomed challenges for Fraser firs.
And like wheat or corn and other crops, if it’s too wet or too dry, trees get stressed — and it shows.

Weather challenges one year affects growth, color and health the next; same goes for pests. Douglas firs were hit by what growers call “needlecast” — a fungus — for a couple of years. That resulted in trees of lesser quality this year despite the absence of needlecast

“You try to get as many things right as you can, and then Mother Nature throws in a couple of quirks,” Bill Urtz said. “The trees aren’t as vibrant, and the growth wasn’t there.”

Victor Tree Farm in Victor doesn’t grow a lot of Fraser firs, but it does offer pre-cut ones. Owner David Faubel said his established trees did fine but “everything that wasn’t watered enough didn’t make it.”

Trees don’t grow overnight, either.

Carol Urtz said their trees are three or four years old when they are planted at the farm. They grow an additional six to 10 years before being harvested. A big, beautiful, specially cut Fraser fir, one that’s between 12 and 14 feet high, can cost up to $150 retail. But that’s tops. Most trees cost much less.

According to the Missouri-based National Christmas Tree Association, Americans purchased 28.6 million Christmas trees last year, down from nearly 33 million in 2005.

Oregon is the top producer of harvested trees (6.5 million) and planted acres (67,800), according to association figures. Pennsylvania has the most Christmas tree farms, with nearly 2,200.

New York ranks among the leaders in all three categories: fourth with 1,650 farms; fifth in acreage with 32,600; and seventh in production with approximately 619,000 trees harvested annually.

New York tree farmers grow about a dozen of the nearly three dozen varieties of Christmas trees.

Wholesalers have been juggling demands for their products for at least two weeks.
“I’ve been scrambling to fill orders and make people happy,” Bill Urtz said. “But making them happy makes me unhappy. I’m handling 200 details at once.”

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